French probe into Epstein sex network stalled, women say

Women who say y were raped and sexually assaulted in France by an associate of Jeffrey Epstein are voicing frustration at apparent glacial progress of a French police probe into ir allegations, and are questioning zeal of investigators who have me only limited efforts to track down or witnesses.

Chief among women’s concerns is that a solitary public appeal by French police for potential witnesses to come forward, me Sept. 11 on Twitter and Facebook and worded only in French, might t have reached people who aren’t signed up to those social networks or who don’t follow French police’s “@PoliceNationale” feeds.

“I’m disappointed,” said Thysia Huisman, a former model who is among a dozen people who have so far given evidence for probe, telling police she was drugged and raped in 1991 at 18 by Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modelling nt.

“re must be more victims, but you have to encour m to come forward,” she said in a phone interview with Associated Press.

police investigation was launched in August after Epstein, disgraced financier who maintained a residence in Paris, took his life while awaiting U.S. trial on sex-trafficking charges . One of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, has alleged that Brunel procured women, some of m mirs, for sex with Epstein and or people, luring m with promises of modelling work.

Brunel’s lawyer, Corinne Dreyfus-Schmidt, did t respond to an emailed request for comment. She has previously said that her client “firmly contests accusations in press” and that he is prepared to talk with investigators. He has yet to be questioned.

So far, French police have questioned eight alleged victims of rape and or abuse, and four or people who say y were witnesses. More hearings are scheduled, says Paris prosecutor’s office, which is overseeing probe.

“Investigations are carried out every day in framework of this inquiry,” prosecutor’s office said in a statement to AP.

Lawyer Anne-Claire Le Jeune, who represents Huisman and two or women who also testified that y were raped or sexually harassed by Brunel, said she was initially impressed by diligence of police investigators who have spent hours carefully documenting ir allegations. But Le Jeune said she w believes police haven’t been given all tools y need to progress.

“As time passes, I realize that means really aren’t being deployed,” Le Jeune said. “re is a block. re is something dysfunctional.”

She ded that she’d initially been unaware of police appeal for witnesses “because I don’t have a Twitter account.”

“If that’s case for me, it must be same for ors,” she said. “It doesn’t reach eugh people.”

Courtney Powell Soerensen, a former model who alleges that Brunel sought to pressure her into sex and assaulted her in 1988, when she was a 19-year-old starting a career in Paris, said police appeal hn’t shown up on her social media feeds. She lives in Livermore, California.

“Absurd. Absolutely absurd. y need to put calls out to Eastern Europe and South America, disvantd places, because that’s where y were pulling girls,” she said.

She first spoke out against Brunel deces ago, telling a “60 Minutes” investigation in 1988 that nt was running a “meat market. You are re for purpose of somebody wanting to take you home to bed.”

Speaking this week to AP, she said such claims were igred n and are again being “swept under rug” w.

Police sought to spre word internationally about ir search for witnesses by turning to a n-governmental group, ECPAT, that fights sexual exploitation of children. ECPAT says it translated police appeal into English, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese and shared it internally with members of its worldwide network, with a request that y n relay call for witnesses.

A French group, Incence in Danger, which initially took le in encouraging witnesses to come forward, said probe seems to have stalled.

“I am sure re are tons of people who kw stuff and saw stuff. Why are y t coming forward?” said Homayra Sellier, who hes group. “I am absolutely frustrated. I am t only one.”